


Summer Love

by orphan_account



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Ashton is 18, Boys Kissing, Coming of Age, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Luke is 16, M/M, Slightly Underage, some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2018-02-07 07:18:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1889898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke goes to summer camp for the first time. His counselor, Ashton, is perfect in every way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic. I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Overall, I'd rate it PG-13…and three quarters. So if you're under thirteen and three quarters, read it with your parents, I'm sure they'll enjoy it.

Luke set his school bag down, and collapsed onto the sofa. He was exhausted. Not just because it was friday, June twenty seventh, but because it was the last day of school. Needless to say, the school year had really tired him out, and all he wanted to do was sleep all summer.

But, that wasn’t going to happen. Luke was going to a sleepaway camp for the whole two months of summer. It was a bit late for summer camp; at fifteen years old (sixteen in a few weeks), if he went back to the camp next year, he would need to be a counselor in training. But his mother had signed him up months ago, and well, it was official. Luke’s mom didn’t entirely make the decision for him. Part of Luke wanted to go. However, both Luke’s parents were working the entire summer, so he would be stuck at home entertaining himself anyhow. So, he figured he’d give camp a shot.

As for friends to entertain him...Luke didn’t exactly have any. He wasn’t bullied; it’s not like his entire school was against him. He just preferred to be a wallflower. He watched and observed people, but didn’t interact with them as much. And people at school had their own lives to tend to; no one had the time to come up to him and try to make a conversation. Luke didn’t go up to people, and people didn’t come up to him. This was mostly okay with Luke. He enjoyed solitude; probably as much as he would enjoy having the company of friends. But without company, everyone gets lonely sometimes. Including him.

Luke had moved to America when he was eleven. His father was American who was in Australia for work temporarily, so when he married Luke’s mother, it was agreed that they would have to move back to America sometime. This may be part of the reason why Luke didn’t have many friends; he didn’t fit in quite as well with the American students as he had with the Australians. In all his years of living there, it just hadn’t been the same. He lived in Pennsylvania, but was going to Connecticut for camp.

Luke needed to pack. He lifted himself off the sofa and dragged his feet as he slowly walked to his bedroom. He grabbed his packing list from one of his drawers, and eyed the first thing on the list.

Once he had laid everything out on his bed (which wasn’t much, Luke was a light packer) he went over to his wardrobe, and took out two suitcases. He neatly folded and put everything into the bags.

Once packed, Luke headed downstairs, and turned on the television. Amidst his TV watching, he heard a key turn in the keyhole, and saw the door open as his mother came in from her second to last day of teaching math for the school year.

“Hi Luke,” she said with a smile.

“Hey mom,” Luke replied. Luke was pretty close with his mother. His father as well, but he had a special relationship with his mother. They understood each other, and Luke was aware that he could come to her if he ever had a problem. Maybe it was because they were both Australian. Did Luke just naturally connect better to other Australians?

His mother headed up to her room, and Luke continued watching television before his mother sat down beside him.

“Are you excited for camp on Monday?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Luke responded. “I’m a combination of nervous and excited. I have no idea what it will be like.”

“Don’t worry,” said his mother. “The people there are very nice. I’m sure you will befriend a few people. Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet,” replied Luke.

“Alright then, I guess we’ll order mexican food,” said Luke’s mom as she got off the couch to order food.

Until dinner arrived, Luke continued watching television. His father got home as well, and Luke sat down at the dinner table. He discussed the school year and camp with his parents before excusing himself from the dinner table, and heading up to his room.

In his room, Luke curled up with a good book. He was currently reading “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury, for the second time. Luke, unlike others, quite enjoyed classic literature. He could learn quite a bit from it, and found it just as engaging as current novels.

After reading, Luke brushed his teeth, changed into his pajamas, and crawled into bed. The fatigue that had settled over him on the couch after school was no longer present. Instead, he buzzed with nerves and excitement. What would camp be like? Would he make friends? Were the counselors nice? What activities would he enjoy? These thoughts were buzzing through his head at high speeds until he finally dropped off to sleep after a half an hour of just thinking.

* * *

The first thought that came to Luke’s mind when he awoke on monday morning was camp. He lifted himself out of bed, and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth, before getting back to his room to get dressed. He had picked out an outfit the night before that he thought was suitable for the first day of camp. It was casual, yet attractive. He dragged his large bag downstairs.

He found his mom in the kitchen preparing breakfast. “Morning Luke,” she said. “I’m currently preparing breakfast. After we eat breakfast, we’ll head out.”

Luke ate his eggs and french toast in silence as his mother ate. His father came downstairs soon after, and ate his breakfast as well.

Then it came time to say goodbye. Luke had always been very close to his parents, and this was his first time going to summer camp, so this wasn’t an easy thing to do. One of Luke’s biggest fears was that he would get homesick at summer camp, and make a complete and utter fool of himself. With pictures of his family in his suitcase and a goodbye kiss, he hoped this wouldn’t happen.

“I’m going to miss you dad,” Luke said and smiled sadly as his father pulled him in for a hug. He wouldn’t cry.

“I’ll miss you too Luke. But don’t worry, the summer will fly by before you know it.”

“Eh, I have mixed feelings about that. It’s good because I’ll get to see you again soon. Bad because I’ll have to go back to school,” Luke sighed, and frowned. “If camp is hell, I’ll surely be very glad it went by fast.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be. It’s summer camp, it’s supposed to be fun!” His father reassured him. Luke gave his father one last goodbye hug and kiss before grabbing his two large suitcases and trudging out the door.

One thing Luke wished he had to say goodbye to was a dog. Luke had always loved dogs, and really wanted one. No one in his family was allergic, including his older brothers, who were off on summer internships, and whom he’d said goodbye to once they left. His brothers biological father’s weren’t Luke’s current one; he was Australian and Luke had never met him. They just didn’t want the responsibility. Luke always said he’d fully take care of the dog, but his family wasn’t buying it.

He stuffed his suitcase into the trunk, sat down in the passenger seat, and stuffed his ear buds into his ears. His mom got into the car next to him, stuck the key into the ignition and started driving.

The camp was a good three hours away, and Luke knew that the car ride would be boring. He couldn’t focus on reading or watching or playing a game on his phone due to nervousness, so he just sat there and rubbed his palms together; listening to music. But even that wasn’t much of a distraction.

As they got closer and closer to the camp, Luke got more and more nervous. He felt butterflies in his stomach, and his mouth was dry. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt and shook his leg as he sighed and stared at the window.

“Nervous?” His mother asked. Luke pulled one earbud out of his ear to hear her.

“Yeah,” Luke replied.

“Don’t be. As your father said, it’s summer camp, it’s supposed to be fun! I’m sure everyone there is very nice. We will exchange letters and gifts, and you’ll be fine. I went to summer camp when I was younger, and let me tell you, I had a blast.”

Honestly, his mother’s words didn’t reassure him much. He gnawed on his lower lip, and tried to let the music distract him and calm his nerves. He wanted to fall asleep in the hopes of escaping his excitement, but it just wouldn’t happen. They would get there eventually.

“Are we there yet?” Luke impatiently asked his mother.

“Almost, we still have about forty five minutes.” This calmed Luke down a bit, while making him more nervous. Was that even possible?

* * *

“We’re here,” his mother said, before as she pulled into the parking lot.

“Oh no,” Luke said with a nervous tone.

“Just relax,” Luke’s mother replied with a rather impatient tone.

Luke reluctantly unbuckled his seatbelt, and got out of the car before taking one of his  suitcases out of the trunk as his mother grabbed another. They walked along a grassy field until they saw a young woman with blonde hair, shorts, a camp T-shirt, and a whistle around her neck, alongside a man, sitting under a tent behind a table.

“Excuse me, where should we go?” asked Luke’s mother politely.

“The dining hall is right down there, and make a left,” she replied.

Luke and his mother walked down to the dining hall, and entered. Two men greeted them.

“What’s your last name?” asked one.

“Hemmings,” replied Luke.

“Is it your first year here?” asked the other man. Luke nodded.

“You will be in cabin thirteen, in the oldest age group. There seem to be quite a few Aussie campers this year, so we decided to put them all in a cabin together to make them feel more at home,” said the first man.

“Thank you,” responded Luke’s mom.

This cabin arrangement sounded nearly impossible to Luke. He hadn’t met an Aussie in America, other than one half Australian girl at the first school he came to. But he was comforted knowing that there would be people from his hometown in his cabin. And Aussie counselors at American camps seemed to be quite a common thing.

They walked up a rocky path, through a grassy field, until they came to a group of cabins. Some of the doors were open, but Luke couldn’t really see inside.

“I think this is where the cabins of your age group are,” said Luke’s mother. His heart started beating rapidly, and his palms got clammy.

When Luke saw a cabin he thought said “thirteen” on a small sign by the door, he walked up the hill, his mother following closely behind. When he got to the porch, he peeked inside the cabin. His mother stepped ahead of him.

“Hi, is this cabin thirteen for the oldest age group?” she asked.

A young man, who had previously been standing by a bunk bed inside the cabin, stepped forward and walked up to the door.

“You found us! I’m the counselor of this cabin. My name’s Ashton. And you are?...”

Luke had been standing by the door, out of sight from the people in the cabin. He hadn’t even seen the source of the voice coming from inside the cabin, although he’d admit it was a nice one. It was high pitched, in an endearing way, and very, very Australian. Even more than his was. He was right about the counselor being Australian as well.

“I’m Luke’s mother, Liz. He will be staying in this cabin.” Luke slipped out from beside the door to beside his mother, and saw his new camp counselor.

He was, admittedly, very attractive. Luke knew Australian boys were pretty, but he hadn’t seen anything like this. He had tan, sun-kissed skin, blonde, streaked hair, bright hazel eyes, and deep dimples. He was wearing a tie-dye camp shirt, beige shorts, and a few bracelets.

Okay, he was strikingly beautiful. But, as much as Luke wanted to, he wasn’t going to stand there and stare at him forever.

“Luke! It’s nice to meet you. As I said to your mother, I’m Ashton, your new counselor. Why don’t you come inside; unpack, make yourself at home?” Ashton said with a radiant smile that Luke couldn’t help but return slightly.

“Sure.”

Ashton reached out a hand for his bag, grabbed it, and lifted it. Luke admired the way his tan biceps flexed as he took the bag from his hand.

“Well, this certainly is the Aussie cabin. Although I’m not the only Aussie counselor, I requested that if there were any Australian campers, they be put in my cabin, no matter how many there were. I just moved here at the beginning of June when my last year of high school ended, so I like to feel more at home. Is it your first year here?” asked Ashton.

“Yes it is, and because of this, would you mind staying with him? I wouldn’t want him getting lost around the camp, it looks like quite a large one. Luke’s also pretty anxious about going here,” said Luke’s mother. Luke felt slightly embarrassed.

“I can assure you, your son is in good hands. But because you said that, how about you take the top bunk above my bed?” Ashton asked as he slid Luke’s suitcase behind his bed, and his mother put the other one beside it.

“Alright,” Luke replied with a shrug.

“Well Luke, it seems like you’re in good hands. I should probably drive home now,” said Luke’s mother. Luke frowned, and sighed. He wouldn’t cry. He didn’t cry when he left home, so he wouldn’t cry now.

“Why the long face? Camp will be over before you know it, which, as you said, is both good and bad.” His mother smiled and pulled him in for a hug.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” said Luke, tightly hugging his mother.

“I’ll miss you too. We’ll write to each other, and I’ll send you gifts. Perhaps you’ll even get something from your brothers. And remember to put on sunscreen!”

“I’ll make sure he does,” Ashton added. Luke blushed. His mother was so overprotective sometimes.

Luke’s mother kissed Luke’s forehead, and exited the cabin.

“We should probably set up your bed,” said Ashton. Luke pulled his bedsheets and pillow out of one of his suitcases. They took the mattress off the top bunk, and put the fitted sheet on, before putting it back up and putting the pillow and sheets on top.

* * *

 

Once they were done, two young boys entered the cabin. One had dirty blonde hair and pale skin, the other looked more exotic and was holding a soccer ball.

“Hi Michael, hi Calum. This is Luke, he’s going to be the last member of our cabin. We have quite a small one; all the others are full, and the last one usually ends up having the least amount of people. So, it’s just going to be us. That’s also why I’m the only counselor for this cabin.,” said Ashton with a smile. “We also only have a few people in our cabin because you’re the only Australian campers. This camp is quite a diverse one. People come from all over the world.”

“Not true, although I lived in Australia, I’m a New Zealander,” corrected Calum. “Hi.”

“Are we eating dinner soon?” asked Michael.

“We’ll head over to the dining room in a few minutes.”

In the meantime, the boys in the cabin continued organizing their stuff and setting up their beds. Soon after, they headed over to the dining room.

Luke sat down at a table in front of Ashton, and beside Calum who sat across Michael. He got a plate and forks.

“So Luke, tell me about yourself,” said Ashton, as he scooped some spaghetti onto his plate.

“Well, I’m fifteen going on sixteen, it’s my first year here, I’m going into eleventh grade, I have two older brothers...there’s not much to say to be honest. I’m not very interesting.”

Ashton smiled. “I’m sure you are, you just don’t know it. What are your interests?”

“I play the guitar and sing a bit.”

“What’s your favorite animal?”

“I like penguins and dogs. Are we playing twenty questions or something?”

“Sure, if you want.”

Luke chuckled. “Okay then. What about you?”

“I am seventeen years old, almost eighteen, and it’s my first year being a counselor, and at this camp. I have a younger brother and sister. My parents are divorced; I’m no longer in touch with my father. I am going into college next year, and thought doing this would be a good way to get to know people here, and earn some money for college. But as I mentioned, I wanted Australian campers in my cabin to feel at home, so I’m glad you’re here. I like to sing as well, but I’m not very good at it. I play a variety of instruments, but the drums are my favorite.”

“What are you studying in college?”

“Music, literature, drama, and science. I’m quite interested in those four.”

Luke was genuinely intrigued, and wanted to know more. But the rest of dinner was rather quiet. The boys finished up their dinner before heading back to the cabin.

“There’s going to be a bonfire tonight. The camp director will make an introductory speech, and we will play some games. I will actually be singing a song we wrote about the camp. It’s a pretty silly song, but I think you’ll like it,” said Ashton as the boys were walking over to the cabin.

Once back in the cabin, the boys got their things together, and headed over to the bonfire.

* * *

 

The campers sat on logs around a fire. The camp director spoke about the camp’s history, what people did there, and how amazing it was. Ashton, who was sitting beside Luke, then got up to sing the song.

A few counselors sang as one of them played the ukulele. Ashton had been right, it was a very silly song. It was a bit like a camp cheer; full of camp spirit.

A few people got up to tell stories. Some of them were legends about the camp, others were just plain silly. Other than that, the campers and counselors played games, sang songs, and did a few group building activities before heading back to the cabin.

“Did you enjoy that?” asked Ashton excitedly.

“Yes, it was quite fun,” replied Luke. “Will there be anything else like it?”

“There will be a talent show and a closing campfire. You said you sing and play the guitar. You should perform. In fact, Michael and Calum sing and play the guitar as well. Maybe we could do a band performance; that would be cool.” Luke agreed.

When they got back to the cabin, the boys showered, changed into their pajamas, and got into bed. Ashton sat in the middle of the rug on the cabin floor. He gave the boys a brief speech about cabin rules, and camp rules in general.

“If you boys need anything, you can come talk to me, alright? Sometimes, counselors go out at night to have meetings and talk. If I’m out and you need a counselor, there are people who walk around at night. You can go to one of them, ” Ashton said, concluding the speech.

It being Luke’s first night of camp, and Ashton being the one Luke was friendliest with in the cabin, he didn’t want Ashton to leave. “Will you be going out tonight?”

“Nah, since it’s the first night of camp, I’m going to stay to make sure everythings alright. Tomorrow though,” said Ashton as he got up off the cabin floor. “Goodnight boys,”

“Goodnight,” they all replied in unison.

Ashton went to the bathroom, and got ready for bed as the rest of the boys had done, before getting into his bed.

* * *

 

Luke couldn’t sleep. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep at all tonight. His nerves were getting the best of him, and he could not stop tossing and turning. As he rolled over to the right, he saw a face by his bed. He nearly screamed, before realizing it was just Ashton, with his forearms resting on his bedpost and his head resting on in his hands.

Ashton, seeing Luke’s alarm at his sudden appearance, giggled. Luke swooned. “It’s just me. I’m sorry I scared you. You were just making quite a bit of noise by tossing and turning,” he said.

Luke’s eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll stop.”

“It’s alright,” replied Ashton. “Are you nervous? Something keeping you awake?”

Luke sighed. “I’m just nervous, I guess. I mean, I’ve never been here before, so I guess it’s just keeping me awake.”

“If it makes you feel any better, as I previously mentioned, it’s my first year of counseling, so I’m quite nervous as well. Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?”

Luke didn’t know if Ashton was really nervous, or if he was just saying that to make him feel better. “I don’t think so. But I promise I will stop tossing and turning. I’m sorry I’ve kept you awake.”

“You haven’t. And perhaps if you stayed still, you’d fall asleep easier. Goodnight Luke.”

“Good night Ashton,” said Luke. Ashton patted his head. Luke didn’t know what that’s all about.

Ashton was right about staying still making it easier to sleep, because Luke stayed in his position, not wanting to keep Ashton awake, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“Alright boys, time to get up!” was the first thing Luke heard the next morning. Honestly, Luke wouldn’t mind waking up to that voice everyday.

Soon after, Luke also heard a few groans from around the cabin. He guessed the other boys weren’t very eager to get up.

Nevertheless, Luke got out of bed, and padded over to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth, got dressed, and put on sunscreen.

Michael seemed to be the one to take the longest to get out of bed. Calum and Ashton had to wake him up a few times before he got up, and got dressed and ready.

Once ready, the boys gathered on the cabin porch. “The first activity we will be doing today is ziplining,” said Ashton with a smile. Luke wondered to himself how Ashton was so cheerful this early in the morning. “But first, let’s go eat breakfast.”

They walked over to the dining hall, filled their plates with scrambled eggs and bacon, and consumed their breakfast. Luke, who sat across from Ashton once again noticed that he had a cup of coffee. He’d always liked coffee, and admittedly relied on it some mornings. He wasn’t even in college yet.

“Am I allowed to get coffee?”

Ashton smiled. “I’m afraid the coffee’s for counselors only.”

Luke frowned. “Then can I have a sip?”

Ashton carefully handed his cup of coffee to Luke, and their hands touched when Luke put his on the cup. Luke tried to ignore the butterflies, and took a sip before handing it back to Ashton.

“Don’t tell any of the other counselors I did that,” joked Ashton.

Luke shrugged. “I don’t think you’d get in trouble, I’m not much younger than you.”

* * *

 

Once they finished their breakfast, they all walked over to the place where campers ziplined. Luke, who had never ziplined before, was nervous, and requested that he go last. As Calum was going, Ashton noticed Luke’s nervousness.

“Have you ever done this before?” he asked.

“No,” replied Luke. “I’m worried that the rope will break or something.”

“It’s not that scary once you’re on there, it’s actually quite thrilling.”

Luke pulled up his belt, and attempted to adjust it, but had some trouble.

"Here, I've got it," said Ashton. The feeling of Ashton's fingers brushing against Luke's waist as Ashton's long fingers adjusted the belt...it was a nice one. So was the feeling of Ashton clipping him onto the zip line. It gave him butterflies in his stomach...adding to the ones he already had in anticipation of going on the zip line.

After clipping him in, Ashton put a comforting hand on Luke's shoulder. "Relax, just enjoy the ride, and it will be over before you know it," he said with a pat to Luke's shoulder.

Luke nodded, too nervous to speak.

"Want a head start?" Asked Ashton with a grin. Luke nodded, although he didn't exactly know what he meant by that.

Before he knew it, Ashton was getting behind him, grabbing him by his hips, and pulling him back. Luke was on his way. Panic flooded through him momentarily, before Luke calmed down, did as Ashton said, and enjoyed the ride. He found himself grinning widely, feeling the wind run through his hair, and throwing his head back.

But all good things come to an end, and soon, Luke was at a halt. Ashton climbed up the ladder at the end, unbuckled Luke, and helped him down.

"I saw the look of panic before you started going, but the smile on your face was priceless. You're so cute, I can tell you really enjoyed it. I knew you would," said Ashton as he ruffled Luke's hair. Luke smiled and looked down, hiding his obvious blush.

"Good job Luke," said Calum, whilst giving Luke a high five.

The boys headed over to the dining hall for lunch, before heading back to the cabin.

"We are going to rest for an hour, before heading over to the lake to swim," said Ashton as the boys headed back into the cabin.

Michael and Calum played a game of cards in Michael's bed, as Ashton lay in his bed. Luke decided to write a letter to his mother, assuring her that he was okay, and liked his camp. (He liked his counselor as well, but he wasn't going to tell her that.)

Once he was done with his letter, he listened to some music off his iPod (campers were allowed to bring iPods at their own risk).

* * *

 

Just as he was dozing off, Ashton's voice woke him up. "Alright boys, you should probably start changing into swimsuits." Luke climbed down his ladder, and grabbed his swimsuit before climbing under his blankets to change. The boys headed out of the cabin once changed, and over to the lake.

The lake was large, and open. There were boundaries at the edges to make sure people didn't go too far, but there was a diving area pretty far out.

He averted his attention from the lake to see Ashton pulling off his top, revealing his bare toned muscular abdomen, chest, and back. Luke felt dizzy just looking at it, and had the brief urge to touch it. He quickly looked away and blushed before it became blatantly obvious that he was staring.

Looking at Ashton made him self conscious, and he decided against taking his own top off. He kicked off his shoes, but got worried realizing that there were no lifeguards present.

"Um, Ashton? Who are the lifeguards?"

"The counselors are. We're decent swimmers, and CPR certified. The campers can't go any further than the diving dock over there, and counselors are there and spread throughout the water."

This relieved Luke. He walked into the water, and started wading around. He grabbed a large tube floating in the water beside him, before feeling something splash him, and hearing a familiar giggle.

"Can you swim?" asked Ashton, the source of the giggle.

"Yes," replied Luke. "Not professionally, but a decent amount."

"Would you like to head to the diving area with me?"

Luke complied, and started walking over with him, swimming when it got too deep. He climbed up the ladder to the diving area. When he got to the edge, he got nervous, and reluctant to jump off.

"You alright?" Asked Ashton, coming up behind him.

"Yeah, just a bit nervous."

"You get nervous quite a bit when it comes to trying new things, don't you?"Asked Ashton. Luke didn't know how to reply to that.

"I can jump with you," suggested Ashton, as he took Luke's hand. He didn't intertwine their fingers, but Luke's heartbeat still sped up, and he still very much enjoyed the feeling.

"Ready? One, two, three," counted Ashton, before jumping into the water, and pulling Luke with him. Somewhere underwater, Luke lost Ashton's hand, and floated back to the surface.

"Wasn't that bad, was it?" Asked Ashton. Luke shook his head, and smiled. "Let's do it again!"

* * *

 

The next day as Luke's rope activity, he was rock climbing. He looked forward to this; it wasn't something he had done before. This time, he decided to go first.

"Being a dare devil today I see," said Ashton with a smile when Luke volunteered to go first. "I've taught you well."

He put his belt on, and Ashton hooked him to the rope. He grabbed the first rock, and started to climb, hoisting himself up, rock by rock.

When he got to a point on the wall, he got stuck.

"Lift your right arm up, and grab that one," said Ashton from down below. Luke reached for it.

Soon enough, with Ashton's directions, he got to the top. He heard everyone cheering from below. It was a bit cheesy, but it gave him pride.

The rest of the day went as planned, and so did the rest of the week. He bungee jumped the next day, which was quite an adventure. Ashton commented on how light Luke was, considering how high he was able to bounce.

* * *

 

Thursday was the fourth of July. The boys in Luke’s cabin were all Australian, but had been celebrating the fourth of July the years they lived in America, and were familiar with it. The campers gathered around the campfire area once again, and since they couldn’t see or set off fireworks, the campers were given sparklers to celebrate, and told to wear patriotic colors. Luke enjoyed it. Ashton looked breathtaking under the light of the sparklers, and all the campers had a blast. The sparklers didn’t burn his hand like he thought they would.

* * *

 

But as the week went on, Luke's homesickness started to settle in, and by Saturday night before bedtime. He found himself holding the photo of his family he brought, and felt a single tear slip from his eye. He turned facing the wall, not wanting anyone to see him and think he was childish. Nevertheless, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"You alright?" Asked Ashton. Luke reluctantly, but slowly, turned toward Ashton.

"Yeah," he sniffled, and wiped the back of his hand across his nose. "Just getting a little homesick is all."

"Awww," Ashton cooed, wiping a tear from Luke's eye.

"Look at pictures of your family," suggested Michael from his bed. "It helps me."

"That's what I'm doing, and I guess it sort of brought on the homesickness." Luke sighed.

"Mind if I come up?" Asked Ashton. Luke shook his head.

Ashton climbed up into Luke’s bed, lay beside him, and brought him into his arms. Luke cried softly into his chest. "I'm such an infant, I know," said Luke, and attempted to laugh but it came out as more of a sob.

"No, everyone gets homesick," responded Ashton, rubbing Luke's back softly. He spotted the penguin stuffed toy behind Luke, and handed it to him. Luke cuddled it between him and Ashton.

"Would you like me to stay?" Asked Ashton.

Luke couldn't say no to that. He loved the feeling of Ashton's strong arms around him. It was incredibly comforting and lovely. If Ashton would do this every time Luke was homesick, he didn't think homesickness would be a problem.

* * *

 

Luke must have woken up before Ashton the next morning, because he woke up with his head on his chest. He gently turned his head so that he could see Ashton's face to figure out whether or not Ashton was still asleep, and indeed, he was.

Luke thought he looked adorable and youthful asleep; quite different than when he was awake. It was endearing. Luke continued to watch him sleep, until he felt him stir, and saw his eyes open.

Ashton smiled down at Luke, and started threading his fingers through Luke's hair. Luke smiled, and his pushed his head toward Ashton's fingers. Ashton giggled. "I should probably get up."

Luke found Ashton's morning voice incredibly sexy, but moved aside so that Ashton could get up.

Luke got slightly confused when he saw counselors and some campers wishing Ashton a happy birthday, so that day, during breakfast he asked Ashton whether or not it was his birthday.

“Yes it is,” replied Ashton.

“How old do you turn?” asked Luke.

“Eighteen,” said Ashton.

Luke smiled. “Oh, right. If you still lived in Australia, you’d be the legal drinking age. Wow.” Most counselors would have called this inappropriate, but Ashton simply laughed. “Unfortunately, you can’t drink here.”

“Well, you don’t know that. Perhaps I have a secret party with the counselors tonight. Shhh, don’t tell the other campers,” joked Ashton.

“Invite me, I turn sixteen in a couple of weeks, on the sixteenth to be exact,” joked Luke in return.

“Alright, we’ll plan something,” replied Ashton.

“If I’d have known it was your birthday, I’d have brought you a gift.”

Ashton grinned. “You’re good enough.” Just a simple flirtation, but it drove Luke crazy inside.

“Sucks that my birthday’s not during camp. Well, it would be if I still lived in Australia,” said Calum.

“Yeah, mine’s in November,” agreed Michael.

* * *

 

Luke felt bad that he hadn’t given Ashton anything, so he made him a card during resting hour. He wasn’t the best artist, but he decided the card would be dull if he didn’t add any art, so he drew a picture of the camp. He drew Ashton sitting up in a tree beside the lake, and inside the card, he wrote about how although he had just met Ashton, he really liked him as a counselor and was glad to his first counselor was him.

* * *

 

At dinner, a couple of chefs came over with cupcakes for Luke’s cabin. There were two candles in Ashton’s cupcake; the numbers one and eight. The rest of the cupcakes had little Australian flags sticking out. They all sang happy birthday to Ashton, and told Ashton to make a wish before he blew out his candles.

“What did you wish for?” Luke asked Ashton after he blew out his candles.

“A good summer at camp for everyone,” replied Ashton.

The cupcakes turned out to be chocolate with buttercream frosting, which they all devoured.

“The cupcakes are only for the people in this cabin?” Luke asked Ashton.

“Yep. That’s what happens if you’re a camper or counselor here and your birthday is over the summer. Hey, if I could request that all campers get a cupcake, I would. But it would take too long to make all those,” replied Ashton, with a bit of frosting above his lip. Luke would usually find this disgusting, but on Ashton, he found it adorable.

He gave Ashton the card before bedtime, and Ashton looked at it and read it before pulling Luke in for a hug.

“Awwww, thank you Luke,” he said. “This was very thoughtful of you. I’ll be sure to do something extra special for your birthday. It’s on the sixteenth, right?”

Luke pulled away from the hug, and nodded, before climbing into bed.

* * *

 

The next day, Luke got a package from his mother. It included some small gifts, and a card. He decided to send his mother the Australian flag from his cupcake from Ashton’s celebration that he kept along with his next letter to his mother.

* * *

 

Two days later the campers choose their next activities. Luke chose gardening in the large garden at the back of the camp. The instructor wasn't Ashton this time. It was Lauren, a kind lady. Luke enjoyed gardening. It was a good distraction, and he didn't mind the dirt.

It was Thursday, and Luke was gardening. It was nearing lunchtime, and Luke was watering his last group of flowers when he heard something buzz nearby him, and felt something on his arm. He put his hand there to see if a bug was on it. To his luck, there was, and after a few seconds, he felt a strong stinging sensation, and saw the bee fly away. It must have gotten scared when Luke trapped it, and as a response, stung him.

Tears flooded his eyes as Laura told the campers to start heading to the dining hall. He gripped his arm. He wouldn't cry.

When he got to the dining hall, he saw Ashton waiting outside. He saw Luke's distress, and his hand on his arm.

"What happened?" He asked with concern.

Luke shut his eyes tight. "I think something stung me."

"Can I see?" Asked Ashton. Luke slowly removed his hand from his arm.

"Oh yeah, looks like a bee stung you. I'm going to remove the stinger, okay? Just don't move." Luke nodded.

Having a stinger removed from his skin was painful, and he cried out as Ashton removed it.

"It's okay," Ashton told Luke, as he wrapped his arms around him in a hug, and rubbed his back. He bent down and kissed Luke's arm where the bee was stung. Luke was sure Ashton’s kisses had healing powers. If only the bee had stung him on the lips.

"Guys, you can head into the dining room, I'm going to take Luke to the infirmary," Ashton said to Calum and Michael.

"Why? What happened?" Asked Michael.

"He got a bee sting." He turned Luke's shoulder toward them so the sting was visible.

"Ouch. Make sure it doesn't get too swollen. You could be allergic. Unfortunately, I speak from experience," said Calum, before him and Michael headed into the dining room.

Ashton and Luke headed over to the infirmary, and Ashton told the nurse what had happened.

While she went to grab ointment for the sting, Luke apologized for acting babyish and crying.

"It's fine," replied Ashton. "Getting stung by a bee hurts like hell. I got stung in the ass once while I was swimming. Unfortunately, no one was too eager to kiss it. A shame, really." Luke couldn't help but giggle at that statement.

The nurse told Luke that his sting would probably become less swollen and painful over time, and that he most likely wasn't allergic. Luke was relieved at this having never been stung before, so he hadn't been sure.

For the next couple of days, Ashton kept pestering Luke about the sting, but Luke insisted that it was fine. Within the next couple of days, it healed, and before Luke knew it, he had a quarter of camp behind him.

* * *

 

It was resting hour. Luke was writing a letter to his parents when Ashton suddenly sat up in bed.

"Oh, I just remembered! About a month from today, there is going to be a camp wide talent show. From what I've heard, everyone in this cabin plays an instrument. Perhaps we could perform as a band," said Ashton.

"Oh yeah! We could even write our own song," replied Michael.

"Wait, you guys play instruments? Which ones?" Asked Luke, who vaguely remembered hearing this before, but couldn’t exactly remember.

"Yeah, we both play the guitar and sing. I've played bass before," said Calum.

"Alright, I'd do it." Said Luke. The rest of the cabin agreed as well.

* * *

 

That week, Luke chose arts and crafts with the younger campers as his activity. Luke was quite awkward with younger children, having little experience with them. But they were fun to be around, and Luke could really relate to them.

Ashton chose arts and crafts as his activity as well, since every two weeks, counselors were allowed to change the activity they helped direct. Luke enjoyed seeing Ashton with the younger kids. They all loved him, and he was very good with them. They made him bracelets the day they made them in arts and crafts, all of which he wore, so by the end of that day, his wrists were filled with bracelets from top to bottom. Luke would have made one for Ashton as well, but apparently, bracelet making wasn't his forte. He couldn’t even braid the string together. Ashton, seeing that Luke was having trouble, made one for him instead before Luke gave up on making his own. Luke loved watching Ashton's long, quick, nimble fingers work the threads into a beautiful pattern. Luke would be lying if he said his heart didn't swell when he saw that Ashton had the same bracelet around his wrist as the one he made Luke. But it could have been made by one of the younger children; although Luke thought it was a bit better than the others on his wrist.

 Another activity Luke did in arts and crafts was tie-dying shirts. This turned out to be pretty difficult; you had to tie the shirts in a very specific way in order for the shirt to turn out nice. Luke loved untying the shirt and watching the pattern unfold before his eyes. He thought his turned out alright. Ashton's, however, was a work of art. Was there anything his counselor wasn't good at?

It wasn't exactly jealousy that Luke was feeling over Ashton's overall perfection, although there was some self-consciousness involved. He was feeling more of an...extreme attraction? This was something Luke became more aware of as his third week of camp came and went, and by the end of the week, he had accepted it: he had a crush Ashton.

Well, accepting it wasn't really something Luke could do. Ashton was, after all, his counselor, although he was but a couple of years older than him. Was it even legal for a camper to have a relationship with their counselor?

Although a relationship with Ashton was something Luke fantasized about quite often, he knew he was going to far with his thoughts. He didn't even know if Ashton liked people of the same sex; let alone him. What would the other campers think? Will Ashton and Luke even see each other again after camp?

So, in addition to his crush on Ashton, Luke accepted that a relationship with him was nearly impossible. It was only something he could hope for.

He still couldn't help but do things that could potentially increase Ashton's interest in him, like making sure he looked okay, and go out of his way to avoid doing anything embarrassing in front of Ashton (which also meant getting nervous whenever Ashton would come near him). He also tried to analyze Ashton's behavior toward him to see if there was any chance that Ashton liked him too.

There would be times when Luke would catch Ashton staring, and times when Ashton would compliment Luke. There would also be times when Ashton would show that he was concerned about Luke, for example, when Luke was stung. There were times when Ashton would gently touch Luke; whether it be by resting his arm on his shoulder, or cuddling him in bed. When Calum or Michael touched or even spoke to Luke, sometimes, Luke swore he could see jealousy in Ashton’s eyes. Most of these things didn’t necessarily mean that Ashton was into Luke, but they were things that drove Luke crazy. Crazy with attraction.

* * *

 

But on Tuesday of that week, it was Luke’s birthday. Ashton handed Luke a card with a picture painted on it (of a penguin on a zipline, wearing a large grin and a t-shirt that said “Luke”. It was tye-dyed the same pattern as Luke had tie dyed his that day), and a bracelet taped to it. It was the one second one he had made for Luke; the other one was different pattern, Ashton had given it to him the day before, and he had a matching one. On the inside was a message about how he was proud of Luke for trying new things, and had really made his first experience as a camp counselor a good one.

“So that’s what you didn’t want me to see yesterday during arts and crafts,” said Luke as he looked at and read the card, before pulling Ashton into a hug. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m kind of a shit painter, worse than I am at making bracelets, but I figured it was worth a try.” Luke wasn’t buying it; the painting was adorable, and better than he could ever do.

“Happy birthday,” said Ashton, before kissing Luke on the cheek. Luke blushed furiously, as Calum and Michael chimed in with a “happy birthday” as well. “By the way, do you prefer cupcakes, cakes, brownies, blondies, ice cream, cookies...which dessert do you like?”

“Um…I quite like cupcakes, I guess? With candy on top, those are quite good.” In all honesty, he had no idea why Ashton was asking him this.

* * *

 

Which was why he was quite surprised when he saw chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting and smarties on top brought to his table after dinner, with smarties on top.

His table started singing happy birthday to him, and Luke made a wish and blew out his candle. He wished for a good semester at camp, a dog, world peace, and many other things, including a relationship with Ashton, as far fetched to him as it was. What could he say? He had high hopes, and big wishes.

“Did you request for these to be made for us?” asked Luke, as he took a first bite of his cupcake.

“Of course, why else do you think I would ask what your favorite dessert was?”

Luke shrugged. “Well, thank you either way. For requesting this little celebration.”

Ashton grinned. “No problem.”

* * *

 

He whispered happy birthday once again to Luke that night, as he sat on the foot of his bed.

“Are there any other birthday gifts I can give you?” asked Ashton.

“A birthday cuddle?” Luke boldly requested, before Ashton lay next to him and wrapped his strong arms around him for the second time that summer. Luke hoped it wasn’t the last. He was honestly quite surprised that although Luke and Ashton had only known each other for three weeks, they were already so close to each other. Perhaps it was fate. Their relationship was definitely beyond professional; normal counselors didn’t swear in front of, cuddle with, or kiss their campers on the cheek. Maybe it’s because it was Ashton’s first time as a counselor, but he didn’t treat Michael, Calum, or any other camper or counselor the way he treated Luke. He didn’t cuddle with them, look out for them (as much) or show the concern he did for Luke.

* * *

 

Luke’s next chosen activity the week after his birthday was archery, and the director was a counselor named John. It took Luke quite some time to get the hang of archery (he completely missed the target every time for the first couple of days), but he improved with time.

It was a Wednesday night, and the boys were about to go to bed. Ashton stood in the middle of the cabin, about to head outside.

“At the end of the first session, which is at the end of this week, the campers always take a trip to a campsite where we spend the night in sleeping bags. We will only be there from Saturday evening to Sunday morning, but I’m just letting you know now so that you’re not surprised when Saturday comes,” said Ashton.

“What will we do there?” asked Luke.

“We will eat dinner and sleep there, then eat breakfast there the next morning. I’ll tell you the details when the time comes, but for now...goodnight boys.” With a wave and a smile, Ashton was off to have a meeting with the counselors about the trip he had just told the boys about.

* * *

 

Fortunately, the weather that summer had been especially good, and so had Luke’s health. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and unfortunately for Luke, they came to an end simultaneously. Although it wasn’t that bad, since Luke had an excuse not to go outside and do things.

All morning during archery, Luke had been feeling unwell. The day had been especially warm and humid, which may have contributed to the thunderstorm later that day, as well as Luke’s feverish feeling.

John noticed Luke’s flushed cheeks and lack of ability to hit the target. “Are you alright? What ails you?” he asked Luke.

“Just feeling a bit warm and fatigued, is all.” replied Luke.

“Do you need to go to the infirmary?” asked John.

“No, I think I’m good,” Luke responded.

* * *

 

But he had no appetite for lunch, and had to rest his head on the table at one point due to dizziness. Ashton, who had been sitting across from Luke, moved to sit beside him. He rubbed his back slowly.

“Are you alright?” he asked with concern.

“I feel a bit ill,” replied Luke.

“Alright, I’ll take you to the infirmary.”

“No, it’s fine. This happens a lot over the summer. It will probably be all gone by tomorrow. I can just go back to the cabin, and rest,” replied Luke.

“Alright, if you say so.”

By the time they got out of the dining room, there was lightning, and it started to pour. The campers rushed to their cabins, and shut the door, in fear of getting hit by lightning and to avoid the rain as much as possible.

Luke walked over to his bed, climbed up to his bunk, and lay down. Soon, he heard Ashton climbing up his ladder and sitting at the foot of his bed.

“Well Luke, it looks like you’re in luck. There’s no swimming in this weather, so we will probably just stay here until dinner. Want me to lie down with you?”

“I don’t want you to get sick,” Luke insisted.

Ashton shrugged. “I don’t mind. I’m your counselor, it’s my job. Just don’t spit on my hand, or anything,” joked Ashton, before he lay behind Luke and spooned him.

Luke slipped in and out of consciousness as Michael and Calum played cards on Calum’s bed and spoke quietly. Luke kept being woken up by loud claps of thunder, and bright flashes of lightning. One especially loud clap of thunder made Luke yelp, and Ashton politely quieted him down and rubbed his back.

At one point, Luke woke up and felt as if the storm outside had moved into his digestive system, and the thunder and lightning was only making him more nervous, making him even more nauseous. He was quivering like a leaf.

He really didn’t want to get sick. It was something he hated doing, and avoided to no avail. His emetophobia had only recently gotten better, but he still hated vomiting. As he felt the bile rise in his throat he rushed to the bathroom, and sat down in front of the toilet before he could close the door. Ashton followed him in, and closed the door behind him. He rubbed Luke’s back and combed his fingers through his hair as he whispered comforting words. Soon enough, Luke was retching, and everything he had eaten that day went out of his stomach, his digestive system going in reverse. Ashton didn’t pull away in disgust or cringe; he simply continued comforting Luke.

Once Luke finished, he was out of breath, and wanted to cry. He rinsed out his mouth, and washed his hands, directing Ashton to do the same, not wanting to spread his germs. He wanted to cry. He hated getting sick.

He went back to bed, and Ashton cuddled him once again.

“Are you alright?” asked Michael from Calum’s bed.

“Yeah, I just got sick. Sorry you all had to witness that, it was gross, I hate it.”

“Hey, it’s no fun. But it’s a good thing, it means you’re getting something bad out of your system. Do you think you have food poisoning, is there a reason why you’re ill?” asked Ashton.

Luke shrugged. “As I’ve said, it happens. And it could be dehydration. I think that’s why I get sick. It is hot today, and I haven’t really drunk much water.”

“Well, dinnertime is soon. I think I’m going to bring you back something to see if you can eat it. You should eat something, especially after getting sick. And for goodness sake, drink some water! You’ll feel better. I’m really going to be on top of you about your water consumption for the rest of the summer,” said Ashton, getting Luke’s water bottle and giving it to him.

After getting sick and sipping water, Luke started to feel slightly better. He ate the soup Ashton brought back to him, and Ashton stayed with him all night.

So by the next morning, Luke felt almost one hundred percent better, and so was the weather.

* * *

All week, Luke had been looking forward to, and curious about Saturday. He wondered what this camping trip would be like. Would they really only sleep in sleeping bags? What if it rains again? Will the woods be their restroom? Nevertheless, Luke was also excited to sleep under the stars, as cheesy as it sounded.

Saturday afternoon finally came, and during their free hour, Ashton had suggested that the boys start packing for the camping trip. Naturally, Luke went to Ashton with his questions.

“So...we’re only sleeping in sleeping bags? What if it rains?” asked Luke.

Ashton shrugged. “It’s happened once or twice, it’s just something we deal with. And yes, we won’t be bringing tents or anything.

“Will we have to ‘go’ in the woods?”

“Yes, but since you’re male, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Any more questions?”

“Will there be bears?”

Ashton giggled. “That must be the millionth time I’ve heard that question. It’s possible that a bear will come out. They do roam around in the forest, but it’s highly unlikely. If a bear does happen to show up, we can scare it away. Well, you can. You’re quite intimidating, if you haven’t noticed.”

Luke giggled. “What’s for dinner?”

“Now that, my young, noble Lucas, is a surprise. Now c’mon, get packing!” joked Ashton, as he lightly slapped Luke’s butt. Luke wished he would do that again.

* * *

 

The campers packed, and hiked over to the area. The boys were to sleep in a different area than the girls. The area was about a half an hour hike through the woods to a large, grassy meadow. Luke silently wow’d to himself when he got there. There was a nice view of the sky from this meadow. They were lucky the weather was nice.

Luke walked over to an area near where Michael and Calum set up their sleeping bags, and decided to set his up there. He noticed Ashton setting up his sleeping bag, and decided to set his up right beside Ashton’s, because it’s not like he wanted to sleep next to him or anything. He wanted to sleep with him...as in, in the same sleeping bag.

As the campers spoke and set up their things, one of the boys decided to start having sleeping bag races. These were like potato sack races, just with sleeping bags. Seeing this, Ashton climbed into his bag, and pulled it up to his shoulders before looking beside himself at Luke, and grinning. “Want to race to that tree?”

Luke got into his sleeping bag, and looked ahead toward the tree. “It’s on.”

The boys laughed loudly as they jumped up and down along the field toward the tree. At one point, Luke tripped in his sleeping bag and came tumbling down on top of Ashton who was right in front of him. Both boys continued laughing, but stopped when Ashton turned over and saw Luke’s eyes.

Luke stopped laughing as well, and instead, looked back at Ashton. Their mouths were inches apart, and their bodies were pressed up against each other. Luke had never experienced a better feeling, and was almost expecting one of them to lean in for a kiss when Ashton cleared his throat and looked away.

“Can you get off? You’re kind of on top of me,” Ashton said with a giggle.

“Oh. Yes. I mean, of course. Sorry,” replied Luke, and proceeded to climb off of Ashton, who got out of his sleeping bag, and brushed himself off, before walking over and putting it back.

* * *

 

It turned out that there were hot dogs for dinner, which would be roasted in the campfire like marshmallows. There was also pizza for vegetarians, and both for those who wanted both. Luke went for a hot dog, and sat with his cabin mates to eat.

After dinner, of course, came s’mores. Luke had to go out into the woods to find a stick, and his marshmallow caught on fire soon after soon after he started roasting it. Ashton blew it out for him, before sandwiching Luke’s second marshmallow between some graham crackers and chocolate. It looked delicious, and Luke started eating it as soon as Ashton handed it to him.

“You’ve got a little…” said Ashton, pointing to Luke’s mouth.

Luke, knowing what he meant, started wiping the part of his mouth Ashton had pointed to in an attempt to wipe off the melted marshmallow, but was interrupted by Ashton.

“No it's—here, I’ve got it,” said Ashton before leaning over and licking the marshmallow off the corner of Luke’s mouth.

“Gross!” exclaimed Luke, totally ignoring the fact that his biggest crush in the history of crushes just licked the corner of his mouth. Ashton laughed.

* * *

 

After dinner and dessert, the campers started to settle down. They played some catch with a ball the counselors brought, and some of them gathered to play soccer. Luke had experience with soccer, so he wasn’t too bad. Calum, however, was a very talented soccer player. He was looking to get a professional career in soccer.

After playing sports, at around ten o’clock, when the stars and the moon rose into the sky, the campers finally started to settle into their sleeping bags. Luke climbed into his and got comfortable, Ashton following soon after. Calum and Michael fell asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows; out like a light, whereas Luke lay there, gazing at the stars, mesmerised. Although he lived in the country, it wasn’t everyday that he got to sleep under the stars, and see them unfiltered like he was now.

He heard rustling beside him, and when he looked to the side, he saw Ashton facing him. “What are you thinking about?”

Luke shrugged. “Isn’t it weird how, when you look up at the stars, moon, or sun, you’re seeing something outside of Earth, millions of miles away? And that’s just in this galaxy. Most of the things we see are on Earth, but when you look up, you’re seeing things from outside Earth, although they sort of look like they’re inside Earth, beneath the atmosphere? I don’t know, I probably sound crazy, but…” Luke shrugged again.

“No, I see what you’re saying,” replied Ashton, as something flashed above them. “Oh look! A shooting star. Make a wish.”

“Nah, I don’t wish on those things,” Luke responded.

“Why not?”

“Why the hell would I wish upon a rock burning up in the atmosphere?”

Ashton laughed, and shook his head. “So pessimistic.”

“I’m not pessimistic, I’m realistic.”

Luke turned back toward Ashton, and looked into his eyes. Ashton was looking right back at him. They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Ashton said “You know what we should do?”

“What?” asked Luke.

“We should zip our sleeping bags together. I’ve done it with friends before. C’mon!” said Ashton, unzipping his sleeping bag.

“And do what? Sleep in them?” asked Luke.

“No, leave them here and go sleep up in a tree,” Ashton rolled his eyes. “Yes sleep in them!”

“Okay,” replied Luke, and started unzipping his sleeping bag. He didn’t exactly know why Ashton wanted to do this. Perhaps it was to cuddle with, or be closer to Luke? Luke sure hoped so.

It took some time to figure out exactly where and how to zip their sleeping bags together, but after some time, they ended up doing it, and had one large sleeping bag. Ashton crawled into it, and, seeing Luke hesitate, raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Come on in!” said Ashton, holding one side of the sleeping bag open. Luke crawled in.

Once he crawled in, Ashton pulled him in toward his chest, and Luke lay beside him.

It was strange. Many times, Luke forgot that Ashton was his counselor. Ashton felt way more like a friend to Luke than a counselor. A friend Luke had strong romantic feelings for. Luke was pulled out of his thoughts by Ashton’s voice.

“I really like you, you know.” Luke looked to the side to see Ashton staring at him, once again.

“Yeah, I like you too,” replied Luke. “You feel more like a friend to me than a counselor. A friend that I have feelings for.” Luke didn’t realize he said the last part out loud until a few seconds after he said it, and his eyes widened as he looked at Ashton to see his reaction.

Ashton looked surprised at first, before breaking out into a wide grin. “What kind of feelings do you mean?”

Luke was a bit panicked. “I think you know what kind.”

Ashton didn’t respond. Instead, he simply stared at Luke. Luke stared back, and the last thing he saw before feeling Ashton’s lips on his was Ashton leaning in towards him.

Luke was surprised at first, but he soon closed his eyes and started kissing back. He had been waiting for this ever since he first saw Ashton. Ashton’s lips were soft, and he kissed like he meant it. The kiss was chaste yet passionate at the same time, and Luke didn’t want it to end.

Ashton was the one to pull away, slightly out of breath, and smile at Luke. Luke smiled back.

“Have you been wanting to do that? Because I have,” said Ashton.

“Yes. And I’d like to do it again,” Luke admitted, blushing slightly.

Ashton turned over onto his back, and took Luke’s hand in his, before starting to gently play with his fingers.

Luke started wondering about Ashton, whether Luke was the only boy he liked, whether he was just an experiment. He decided to ask.

“Have you ever liked a boy? Does it phase you that you do?”

Ashton shrugged. “I don’t really care who I like, honestly, as long as they’re human. When people like someone of the same sex, they’re so obsessed with the fact that it’s someone of the same sex, and not with the fact that they are human too, and have amazing qualities that the person fell in love with. Sexuality is fluid. Humans fall in love with other humans. Whether that human has the same sexual organs as them or not shouldn’t matter really. I’ve liked other people; girls and boys. I wasn’t too phased when I first had a crush on a boy.”

Luke smiled. “Wow,” was all he could say. Not only was Ashton funny, respectful, and attractive, he was also incredibly intelligent and accepting of himself. Luke didn’t know why someone as amazing as Ashton would want to be with someone like him.

“How about you, Luke? You’re pretty young, ever liked a boy?”

“I had one girlfriend last year who I broke up with. I liked her a decent amount. She wasn’t a real, serious girlfriend though. Other than that, you’re the first guy I’ve ever liked, and I like you more than I’ve liked anyone, really. But because of what you said, I’m not too phased by it, so thank you,” said Luke, smiling once again.

Ashton and Luke both lay on their backs, staring at the stars, but thinking of each other. They fell asleep holding hands.

* * *

 

Luke woke up at twilight, with a strong urge to use the restroom. He didn’t want to wake Ashton, but he remembered what the counselors had said about having to take someone into the woods, in case of anything happening to them. He noticed that him and Ashton’s fingers were intertwined, and he smiled. He put his hand that wasn’t holding Ashton’s on his shoulder, and gently shook it. Ashton slowly opened his eyes.

“I have to pee. Would you mind coming with me? I’m really sorry for waking you,” said Luke.

“No, I don’t mind.” Luke and Ashton got up, and Ashton brought him into the forest. Once Luke finished, they headed back to the sleeping bag, and crawled in it.

For a summer morning, it was surprisingly chilly. Luke huddled close to Ashton, and Ashton put his arms around Luke. The memories from last night came crawling back into Luke’s mind. Ashton had kissed him, and said some incredibly intelligent things. A feeling of sadness overcame Luke, however, when the thought came to his mind of Ashton regretting the kiss. Looking up, and seeing that Ashton was still awake, Luke decided to ask Ashton.

“Hey Ashton? Um...we sort of...kissed last night. Do you, by any chance, regret it?”

Ashton responded, “Not at all. Why, do you?”

“No! No, not at all.” Luke didn’t want Ashton thinking such false, vile things.

Ashton smiled. “Want to do it again?”

Luke nodded, before moving his face in front of Ashton’s, and brushing their lips together before pressing them together. Their lips moved in sync for a few moments before Luke felt something wet brush against his lower lip. He guessed this was Ashton’s tongue. He opened his mouth wider, granting him entrance, before Ashton’s tongue started exploring Luke’s mouth.

This was the furthest Luke had gone with anyone. It suddenly hit him that he was full on making out with Ashton, and that his tongue hadn’t moved yet. Even though they hadn’t brushed their teeth yet, Ashton didn’t taste bad at all. Luke hoped he didn’t either. He slowly started repeating what Ashton did with his tongue, and as a result, he heard Ashton let out a quiet moan, which Luke couldn’t help but repeat.

The two pulled away, out of breath and in need of oxygen. Luke sighed contently.

“Wow. That was...one of the best things I’ve ever experienced,” said Luke.

“You mean you’ve never done that before?” Luke blushed, and shook his head. “Wow, I’m surprised. I liked it though, so don’t be ashamed.”

Luke put his head on Ashton’s chest, and fell asleep.

Ashton woke him about an hour later, and the campers packed up and headed back to the cabins. After they dropped off their stuff, they headed back to the cabins for breakfast.

* * *

 

After breakfast, it came time to choose next week’s activities. Luke chose sports. He had enjoyed playing soccer on the camping trip, and wanted to do it again. For the sports activity, every day, the people in the group would do a different sport; basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and mini golf. Calum chose sports as well. It turns out he had chosen it for the second time.

He received a second package (from his brothers this time) after lunch. He had been exchanging letters with his family periodically as camp went on, but it was good to receive something from his brothers.

* * *

 

The next day, after playing basketball and having lunch, it was time for the camper’s free hour. Luke sat down on his bed, and decided to write a song, or at least start writing one. His experiences with Ashton and overall attraction to him definitely inspired songwriting. Luke had written songs before, and he was excited to start doing it again.

To think up some lyrics, he started thinking about Ashton. He thought about how Ashton was smart, kind, funny, attractive...everything he wanted. This is what made him decide “Everything I Want” would be the title of the song, and he started writing it.

He heard someone climbing up his ladder, and saw Ashton sitting at the foot of his bed. “What are you writing?” asked Ashton, laying beside Luke.

“A song,” replied Luke. He saw Ashton looking over the lyrics.

“Wow, this is really good. Who’s it about?”

Luke smirked at him. “The person I kissed last night. Who do you think?”

Ashton watched Luke write the song. “When you’re done, you can perform it for us. Perhaps we can sing it at the talent show.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” agreed Luke. Luke closed his journal, and lay on his side, facing Ashton.

“Hey Ashton, I’m not really in the mood for going swimming today. I was thinking perhaps we could go canoeing together?” he asked Ashton.

“Sure,” Ashton replied. “I think I could get off lifeguard duty for a day. Perhaps the person who supervises boating wouldn’t mind being a lifeguard. We could go together.”

Calum, overhearing their conversation said “Yeah, Mikey and I along with a few other friends went last week. It was fun. Wear your swimsuits though, you get a bit wet. And I don’t know about you, but Mikey ‘accidentally’ flipped the boat over. Maybe that will happen to you as well.” He added air quotes to “accidentally.”

“It was an accident!” replied Michael.

“If you say so,” said Calum sarcastically.

* * *

 

The boys changed into their swimsuits and left the cabin. When they got to the boating area, Ashton asked the instructor if he could take over for the day. She agreed, and Ashton handed Luke a life vest and put one on himself. Ashton helped Luke into the boat, and smoothly pushed it off the shore and jumped off. He took the oars, and started rowing.

Luke watched the muscles in his toned, tan biceps flex as he pushed the oars back and forth and rowed the boat at a leisurely speed.

“Whatcha starin’ at?” asked Ashton smirking.

“Nothing. Nice arms,” replied Luke.

Ashton giggled. “Thanks.”

When the boys were far enough out in the lake, Ashton put down the oars and moved to sit beside Luke. He put his arm around him. “This is quite romantic isn’t it?” Luke nodded.

After staring at Luke for a while, Ashton leaned in and kissed him. Luke immediately started kissing back, and put his hand on Luke’s cheek. They kissed like they had under the stars; passionately (and with tongue involved) before pulling away. Luke put his head on Ashton’s shoulder.

“This is nice,” he said. “I should have done this before.”

“Well, you have the rest of the month to do it,” replied Ashton.

And then it hit Luke. He only had a month of camp left, a month left to properly be with Ashton. He tensed up.

“Ashton,” he said. “Where do you live? You don’t live in Australia or anything, right?”

Ashton chuckled. “No, I did, but I will be living in New York City for college. Not too far from here.”

“Oh,” replied Luke. “Do you think we can see each other after camp?”

Ashton sighed. “I’m going into college, so I will be quite busy. But on the weekends we can probably visit. Where do you live?”

“In Pennsylvania, a few hour’s drive from New York City. Will you be moving back to Australia after college?”

“No, I think I’ll make a life for myself here in America.” Ashton smiled at Luke, and started humming “America” from West Side Story. Luke laughed. They kissed and cuddled some more before rowing back to the shore.

The next resting hour, Luke finished and edited his song. He had to borrow a guitar from another counselor who had brought one to think up the melody. The next day he sang it to the boys. They all complimented him on it. Ashton complimented his voice. Luke swooned.

The boys in the cabin continued practicing the song after that. Ashton learned it on the drums, and they practiced. They also chose to cover a song in the talent show; the song “Jasey Rae” by All Time Low, to be exact. They all liked this song very much, and knew it well. They thought that they sounded pretty good performing it. They assigned different parts of the song for Luke, and Calum to sing.

* * *

 

Other than that, the rest of the week went by smoothly. Luke would play sports before lunch. He wasn’t good at all of them, and got hit in the eye with a tennis ball, but it healed relatively smoothly, and Ashton was sure to give it a kiss.

Ashton and Luke would cuddle in bed at night, and kiss each other sneakily when they thought no one was looking. They kissed behind the cabin during resting hour, on canoe rides, and even underwater when swimming. At this point, Calum and Michael knew that Luke was more than just a camper to Ashton, and Ashton was more than just a counselor to Luke. They teased them about it occasionally, but didn’t have too much of a problem with it. They didn’t threaten to tell anyone about it.

Luke and Ashton knew that if the wrong camper or a counselor found out about their relationship, it could mean trouble. Ashton could get fired, and Luke may not be able to go back to the camp, which neither Luke nor Ashton wanted. So, they were extra careful that the relationship was kept within their cabin.

* * *

 

The next week, Luke chose fishing as his activity. He’d never fished before in his life, so he was excited to try, although he didn’t expect to catch anything. The fishing was off the shore; not off boats. Michael happened to choose this activity as well.

Luke ended up catching a small fish that wednesday. At that point, he had gotten enough practice to know how it was done, and Michael took a photo of him and the fish on the disposable camera Luke had brought.

Luke also liked to pick up the little sea creatures, such as the frogs and other reptiles that roamed by the shore, put them into water buckets, and observe them with Michael and the other campers as he fished.

* * *

 

Before Luke knew it, at the end of that week, it was the day of the talent show. The boys had spent plenty of time rehearsing the song during their free hours, so they knew it by heart. They had split the song pretty evenly; although Luke was disappointed that no part was given to Ashton. Ashton insisted that he wasn’t a good enough singer, although Luke had heard him sing at the camp’s introductory bonfire and in the shower. He thought Ashton had a splendid voice, and told him this. Nevertheless, Ashton still refused.

The performances (other than theirs) were pretty good. Some people sang, others danced, some told stories or jokes, others played games with the audience. When it came time for them to perform, they announced their cover (Jasey Rae) and performed it. Ashton played the drums, Luke sang and played the guitar, Michael played the guitar and sang, but Calum only sang.

Ashton drummed on the cajon he brought to camp. Luke had seen it sitting around in the cabin, and had seen Ashton using it. He loved the way Ashton's drumming sounded, and loved the way he bobbed his head to the beat as he drummed.

The cover went smoothly, and the audience seemed to agree. No one forgot the lyrics or messed up, although Calum later said that he almost forgot them at one point, but it didn’t show.

“Alright, this next one’s an original. It’s called ‘Everything I want,’” announced Michael before the song.

“Luke wrote it,” Ashton felt the need to add.

The performance of “Everything I Want” was a hit. The audience enjoyed it. After the talent show, other campers and counselors complimented them on their singing and instrument playing. They asked them what their band name was, and when the boys said that they had none, they said they should form a band.

“Well, that went well,” said Luke, walking back to the cabin.

“Yeah,” agreed Michael. “If only we went to the same school, we could actually form a band.”

“Well, we live on the Northern East Coast. We could jam sometime. And perhaps we could visit our hometown together and jam there,” said Calum.

“Count me in,” added Ashton.

They all went back to the cabin, crawled into their beds, and started talking and laughing about nothing in particular. They were all pretty high energy from their performance.

“Luke, do you think you’ll keep writing songs?” asked Calum. “You should. You’re quite good at it.”

“Thanks, and yes, most likely,” replied Luke. “I enjoy it, after all.”

“Was this your first song?” asked Ashton.

“No,” answered Luke. “I’ve written a few others.”

“Same,” said Ashton. “I’d love to hear them.”

“I think we’ve all written songs,” said Michael. “Mine are crap, though.” They all kept talking until they fell asleep.

* * *

Luke woke up in the middle of the night. He felt lips on his neck. He looked down, and saw a topless Ashton giving his neck butterfly kisses. He giggled.

“Ashton,” he asked. “What are you doing?”

Ashton started biting and sucking at areas of his neck, leaving small red marks. It wasn’t something Luke had felt before, and it wasn’t something he thought would feel good, but surprisingly, it did. So much that it made him moan. Ashton ran his fingers down Luke’s stomach to his crotch, groping it lightly. He got on top of Luke, and started grinding their hips together. The two moaned, in fact, Luke moaned so loud that he woke himself up.

* * *

 

Luke woke up (for real this time) in a cold sweat, and achingly hard. This would be completely normal, except for the fact that Luke had never experienced this before.

It was, indeed, crazy. He was a teenage boy who had never really (as far as he remembered) gotten hard, let alone touched himself before. He had never really been sexually attracted to people. Sex, once he found out what it was, didn’t appeal to him. He never watched porn, and looked away whenever a raunchy scene came on during a movie. Perhaps he was asexual, and wasn’t sexually attracted to people. Or perhaps, he was demisexual and wasn’t sexually attracted to people he wasn’t romantically attracted to, although he didn’t think he was in love with Ashton yet. Sexuality was fluid, as Ashton said, and didn’t need to be labeled.

But now, it was the middle of the night, he had just woken up from a (almost wet) dream, fully hard, and was unsure as to how to get rid of it.

He pulled the covers off himself, climbed down the ladder to the floor, and went into the bathroom in their cabin. He turned on the light, and shut the door, pacing around the bathroom, taking deep breaths. He looked down at himself, and sighed. For whatever reason, he didn’t feel comfortable touching himself. But he didn’t feel comfortable keeping his problem, either.

In an attempt to think of things that would turn him off, the memories of his dream (and Ashton in general) kept flooding back to him, which only made the situation even harder to deal with, pun intended. But, to interrupt his thoughts, there was a knock on the door.

“Luke,” said Ashton, of all people. “Are you alright? I saw you get out of bed. You looked a bit distraught. Are you sick again? Can I come in?”

Luke, out of pure embarrassment, didn’t reply. Knowing Ashton was awake, he couldn’t really get rid of his problem. If he kept Ashton out, Ashton might be suspicious, and he didn’t want to shut him out. He also didn’t want to let him in, and let Ashton see him like this.

But, to his luck, hearing no reply from Luke, Ashton opened the door. Luke quickly folded his hands together over his crotch. “Are you alright?”

Luke couldn’t do anything but shake his head. He couldn’t lie to Ashton.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Luke shook his head.

“Did you...wet the bed?” Luke emphatically shook his head.

“Then what happened?”

“I um...had a dream,” replied Luke.

“Ah, tell me about this dream,” said Ashton, coming further into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. Did he know what was up?

“I’ve never had a dream like it before. It made me feel...feelings,” replied Luke, blushing and looking down.

Ashton looked down along with Luke, and a look of realization came over him.

“Oh, I think I know what’s going on here.” Ashton smirked, he freaking smirked, and walked closer to Luke. “Who, or what was this dream about?”

“Well, you.” replied Luke.

Ashton lightly grabbed Luke’s wrists, and removed them from his crotch. Now Luke’s erection was on full display.

Luke sighed. “This may sound weird, but I don’t really know what to do about it. I’ve never really been sexually attracted to anyone, so I’ve never really had to deal with this. Perhaps I’ve been asexual until now. Either way, I don’t know how to deal with this.” He looked up at Ashton. “Look at what you’ve done to me,” he mumbled, half joking.

“Wow. You’re sixteen and you’ve never masturbated?” Luke shook his head.

“Well, considering you don’t know how to get rid of this problem you have, perhaps I can help,” said Ashton, as he stepped closer to Luke.

“What do you mean?” Luke didn’t know what he meant. Well, not exactly. Was Ashton going to take his virginity?

“You’ll see,” whispered Ashton into Luke’s ear, seductively. He put a hand on Luke’s shoulder, and slowly ran it down his front until it reached the waistband of Luke’s boxers, which were all he could wear for pajama pants during the summer. He gulped.

Ashton slowly hooked his finger underneath the waistband of Luke’s boxers, and pushed his hand down until his fingers curled around Luke’s erection. He gasped.

Ashton started moving his hand up and down along Luke’s erection, slow at first, then speeding up. He whispered things into Luke’s ear about how pretty he looked, as Luke moaned, gasped, and squirmed with pleasure. He had never experienced this type of pleasure. Where had it been all his life?

Soon, Luke felt a warmth at the base of his abdomen as his brain went mushy and he ejaculated into his boxers. That lasted shorter than Luke had hoped, but it being Luke’s first time, he wasn’t surprised.

He sighed, and leaned into Ashton’s shoulder. “So that’s what it feels like,” he muttered.

“Yep,” replied Ashton. “How was it?”

“Amazing,” said Luke. “You’re amazing. Thank you for that.” He smiled and turned his head to give Ashton a chaste kiss before looking down, and seeing that Ashton was in the same situation as he was few minutes ago.

“Well, since you helped me, the least I can do is help you,” Luke said with a smirk, attempting to be seductive. Hopefully it was working.

“You don’t have to. I can take care of it myself...oh,” said Ashton, as Luke pushed his hand down Ashton’s boxers and grabbed his erection.

Luke tried to mimic Ashton’s previous movements along his own erection. Hopefully he was doing alright. He was certainly getting a good reaction from Ashton, who was moaning, writhing, and swearing under his breath. It was one of the hottest, most amazing things Luke had seen. He was worried he would get hard again, but he was too sensitive for that.

He felt Ashton come on his hand a few moments later.

“Wow, that was, really good for your first time doing that,” said Ashton. Luke thanked him.

The two washed their hands, and crawled back into bed. Luke decided to crawl into Ashton’s bed, partially because he was too tired to climb up to his own after what had happened.

He still found himself lying wide awake, feeling self conscious about his lack of sexual experience. Clearly, Ashton had more than he did.

“Ash,” he said, turning toward him. “I know that this was my first experience in that area, but clearly it wasn’t yours?”

“Not exactly,” replied Ashton. “Although, I am a ‘technical’ virgin. Sure, I’ve pleasured people before, but not penetrated, if you know what I mean. I’ve never been serious enough with anyone to do it, or to want to. I want my first time, my real first time, to be with someone I love and trust. I hope I made your first time doing that pleasurable.”

Luke nodded. This relieved him slightly. But clearly, there was still more things to be done. Luke just hoped he was good enough at them.

“But just know that I won’t ever pressure you into doing anything you’re not comfortable doing, alright? If I ever go too far, just tell me.”

Luke leaned over, and kissed Ashton. “I will.”

* * *

 

With the next day came the seventh week of camp, and it hit Luke that he only had two weeks left of camp. He would certainly miss the people in his cabin, Ashton especially, and even some of the other people he met, but it was good to know that they all lived in the same general area as him. He didn’t know if he and Ashton had a proper relationship, or if they ever would, he just knew that he liked spending time with him.

Luke’s next activity he chose was yoga by the lake. He had practiced yoga a few times in the past when he was younger with his mother. And yoga by the lake turned out to be very relaxing. The instructor put on some music while she told the campers what moves to do, and Luke enjoyed it very much.

* * *

 

Now that Luke had turned sixteen last month, he was thinking about how he wanted to get his lip pierced. He’d wanted it for a while. He thought it would look attractive, and give a bit of edge to his oh-so-innocent self (although, after what had happened last week, Luke wasn’t so sure if he could label himself that anymore). He hadn’t exactly asked his mother for one, but he brought a needle to camp in the hopes of doing it there. He also brought a stud at a store he happened to be at a while ago (without his mother) for when he got it pierced.

Ashton and Luke was sitting on Ashton’s lap on the porch of their cabin at the beginning of their free hour, when Luke mustered up the courage to ask him. “Ashton? I’ve been wanting my lip pierced for a while.”

“Oh, really?” joked Ashton. “There’s something I never knew about you.”

“Do you think it would look good?” asked Luke self consciously.

“Honestly?” asked Ashton. “I don’t think it would look good, I think it would look hot. It would enhance our make out sessions,” he smiled at Luke. “I’m turned on just thinking about it.”

Luke scoffed. “Hey, I’m being honest!” Ashton insisted.

“Well, what if I told you I brought a needle to camp? And a ring? And that I want you to pierce my lip?”

“Wow, you trust me to do that? Now?” asked Ashton. Luke nodded.

“Luke, this could be potentially dangerous! I’m not a professional piercer. I don’t want you to get an infection.”

“But you’re good at everything. I trust you to do it. I have everything I need, and I’ve watched videos of professional piercings. I’ll walk you through the procedure.”

Ashton sighed. “I’m not prepared for this.”

“Alright,” said Luke. “Then do it tonight.”

* * *

That night, Luke lay in Ashton’s bed, and Ashton, Michael and Calum surrounded him, wanting to see him get his lip pierced. Ashton had a pen in his hand to mark where Luke would get the piercing, and a lighter and matches nearby. The ring and needle were on a sterile tissue next to the matches,

“You’re really going to let him pierce your lip?” asked Michael. Luke nodded.

“Where do you want it?” asked Ashton. Luke pointed to an area by the right corner of his lip. Ashton, still holding Luke’s bottom lip, marked it with a pen. Luke got up and went to the bathroom to see the mark, and looked at it for a few seconds. He decided he wanted it a bit higher up and further to the corner of his mouth. Two marks later, Luke was happy with it.

“Alright,” said Ashton, lighting the match. “Here goes nothing.”

He put the end of the needle into the flame, and shook out the match. He grabbed Luke’s lip with one hand, and the needle with the other, lightly pressing the needle into the area he marked.

“This will hurt,” he warned.

“Want me to hold your hand?” joked Michael. Nevertheless, Luke took it. He caught Ashton looking over at their hands jealously, so he decided to speed up the process.

Luke inhaled and squeezed his eyes shut. “Do it fast,” he said, and before he knew it, the needle was penetrating his lip.

“That’s it!” said Ashton, as the end of the needle went out the other side of his lip, a second later. “It’s in!”

“That’s what she said,” said Michael. They all turned and glared at him, even Luke did, with a needle in his lip.

Ashton took the stud, and pushed the needle through his lip further, inserting the stud directly in front of the needle, and, with some struggling, managed to get the back on it. He took his hands away from Luke’s lips.

“Wow,” he said, staring at Luke’s lips. “Sexy.”

During all this, Michael had pulled out a pair of earrings from his bag. “My turn!” He exclaimed. “Got these at Claire’s with my ex-girlfriend a while ago.”

“Oh, gosh,” said Ashton. “This is too many piercings for one day for a non-professional piercer. If any of you get infected, it’s your fault. And plus, I’m a counselor. I really shouldn’t have done this. If anyone asks, Luke, Calum pierced you,” said Ashton.

Calum ended up volunteering to pierce Michael’s ears. He copied what Ashton did. Michael didn’t even flinch.

Luke had asked Ashton to get a bag of salt from the dining hall, which the boys would clean their new piercings with mixed with warm salt water in the morning and before bed.

Overall, Luke’s piercing healed quite well. It ached for a few hours after, but it didn’t hurt more than his bee sting had. Ashton really liked the piercing, and it showed when he kissed luke, playing with it lightly with his tongue, but not too much. He didn’t want it to get infected. Neither did Luke, considering how often he cleaned it. Michael cleaned his too, after Calum pestered him into it. He didn’t want to be blamed for a bad piercing.

* * *

 

Soon came the end of the second to last week of camp. Luke was excited to see his family, and anxious to see what his mother would think of his piercing. For the last week of camp, the only other activity left to choose was dance. Calum and Michael had saved this activity for last as well. They learned a variety of dances to various songs. Most of the songs were mainstream pop songs. Calum turned out to be quite a good dancer. Luke had fun with it.

In this last week, Luke was sure to make every moment with Ashton a good one. They hadn’t done anything sexual since that one night, although Luke had thought about it, and wanted to do something else. But he kissed and held Ashton every moment he got.

During this week of camp, Luke’s sunscreen ran out, and after one day of camp, his skin was blood red. Luke had always been pale, so the sun didn’t do him the pleasure of tanning him; it burnt him to a crisp. Ashton rubbed aloe vera into Luke’s back (which Luke enjoyed with a vengeance), told him to take a cold shower, and promised to lend Luke sunscreen every day from then on.

That week, Luke realized he hadn't visited the camp store yet. He visited with the people in his cabin. He got a pair of pajama pants for winter, and a keychain for Ashton. In return, Ashton got Luke a flashlight, which Luke used at night when reading and songwriting.

* * *

 

Before Luke knew it, it was the second to last full day of camp. Luke and Ashton were sitting on the porch alone once again. Luke was on Ashton’s lap once again. He enjoyed this position. Ashton was stroking his hair. Luke sighed and leaned into his touch contently before getting an idea.

“We should go skinny dipping,” he said, announcing his sudden idea.

Ashton laughed. “What? I guess camp has really corrupted you, you wouldn’t have said that before! Man, you’re a real daredevil now.” Ashton shook his head.

“What? It would be fun. We could head down to the lake now. It’s the second to last full day of camp. We have nothing to lose.”

Ashton admitted that skinny dipping would be a fun activity. He also admitted that seeing Luke completely nude would be a fun activity, just not out loud.

“We can invite Calum and Michael. It could be a cabin wide skinny dip,” said Luke, getting off Ashton’s lap. Ashton secretly hoped they declined. Skinny dipping with Luke was something he wanted to be a private activity.

“Ashton and I are going skinny dipping, wanna join?” asked Luke, in the doorway of the cabin.

“What? No!” replied Michael.

“C’mon, it will be fun! An Aussie cabin skinny dip.”

“I don’t think you really want Michael and I to come,” said Calum. “And I don’t think Michael and I really want to see the result of this.”

Luke sighed. “Fine,” he said. “C’mon Ashton, lets grab towels.”

“I’d say we should do this at night, when no one’s by the lake, and we can shower right after,” suggested Ashton.

Luke shrugged. “Alright.”

* * *

That night, after dinner, after they got back to the cabin, Luke and Ashton grabbed towels.

“Have fun,” teased Calum.

“Yeah, come back by curfew. And when you get back, don’t make too much noise!” added Michael. Ashton and Luke blushed, before heading down to the lake, hand in hand.

* * *

 

It, being a summer night, was only sunset by the time they headed out and reached the lake.

“Are we really going to do this?” asked Ashton when they got there. “What if someone sees us?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “No one’s here.”

Ashton pulled off his shirt and his shorts, and looked to the side to see Luke standing there, watching him. “Well?”

Luke looked away and blushed, before doing the same. Ashton quickly took off his boxers, and turned around to see Luke, fully nude as well, watching him. Luke walked over to him, and intertwined his fingers with Ashton’s, looking toward the lake. This was their first time seeing each other fully naked; unfiltered. They very much enjoyed the sight.

“Alright,” Luke said. “On the count of three, we jump. One...two…”

They walked toward the lake, and before Luke could say “three”, they jumped into the water.

The water was warm at night, and Luke swam through it, loving the feeling. He slowly swam over to Ashton, and put his arms around him. They rose up to the surface.

“Wow,” said Ashton. “This was a good idea. The water’s so lovely in the evening.”

They swam toward the shallow end of the lake. “You look hot when you’re wet,” he told Ashton, looking over at him.

Ashton giggled. “So do you.” Luke took Ashton’s hand, pulling him toward him, and started kissing him.

They made out passionately, hands combing through each other’s wet hair, and roaming around each other’s wet, nude bodies. Soon enough, they were both hard, and accidentally ground together, eliciting a moan from both of them.

Ashton moved his hand toward Luke’s hard-on, but Luke caught it, and held it. “Not here.”

The two kissed, and swam and laughed until the sun went down. Luke swam over to where they got in, and got out of the water, moving his hands to cover his erection before putting the towel around his waist. The boys dried off, put their clothes back on, and went back to the cabin.

* * *

 

When they got to the cabin, Calum and Michael were asleep. They went into the bathroom, and stripped off their clothes once again to shower. They stepped into the shower, and Luke turned on the water.

“Cold,” Ashton exclaimed when Luke turned on the freezing water, before adjusting it so that it was warmer.

Luke poured shampoo on his hands, and instead of washing his own hair, decided to watch Ashton’s. He massaged the shampoo into his scalp as Ashton sighed contently, and did the same for Luke.

Ashton’s long fingers felt amazing massaging Luke’s scalp, and Luke purred and moved his head toward Ashton’s hand. The two then put soap on their hands, and washed each other’s bodies in unison. Ashton washed Luke’s entire body (and briefly, his crotch, making him hard), before he rinsed off.

Luke stepped away from Ashton, who in response was the get closer. “Can I try something?” he asked.

Luke had an idea of what was coming, but he didn’t know for sure. All he knew was that he wanted it. “Yes please.”

Ashton started kissing Luke’s mouth, before moving down to his jaw, but didn’t start sucking lovebites into his skin until he was below the level of Luke’s collar. He didn’t want anyone seeing Luke with love bites. He briefly sucked each of Luke’s nipples, another thing Luke didn’t expect to enjoy, but did. Ashton got on his knees, and kissed each of Luke’s inner thighs.

Ashton leaned his head over, and started sucking the tip of Luke’s erection, before moving his head down as far as he could until the tip was at the back of his throat. His hand was on the part that wasn’t in his mouth, moving up and down at a slow pace. Luke threw his head against the shower wall in ecstasy.

Luke had never really thought about what it would be like to receive a blowjob before, but now that he was receiving one, he knew that it was the best feeling ever. The feeling of Ashton’s warm, strong mouth around him, his tongue swirling slightly, his teeth completely out of the way was one he loved. As he couldn’t help but slightly thrust into Ashton’s mouth, he realized that Ashton had a decent gag reflex.

Soon enough, he found that now familiar warm feeling at the base of his stomach. “Ashton, I’m going to…”

Before Ashton could pull away, Luke came into his mouth. Ashton didn’t seem to mind, and swallowed around him, before pulling away.

“Wow, that was...That was amazing. Thanks.” Said Luke, smiling at Ashton.

He started washing Ashton’s body as Ashton had his, and seeing that Ashton was hard, decided to return the favor. He dropped to his knees, and pushed Ashton up against the shower wall.

“Obviously, I’ve never done this, so don’t judge me if it sucks. Well, it should suck. But. You get the point.” He ducked forward, and repeated Ashton’s actions on him.

Ashton’s fingers threaded lightly through Luke’s hair, pulling on it slightly, as he moaned, and writhed. Ashton wasn’t small, and Luke hadn’t done this, so naturally, when it hit the back of Luke’s throat, Luke gagged.

“Oh, shit, that was...hold on, I’m gonna…” Luke hadn’t time to pull off before Ashton came down Luke’s throat, and Luke swallowed every bit he could as he pulled off and wiped his mouth.

“Wow, are you sure that was your first time doing that? It was great,” said Ashton. Luke blushed, and shook his head.

“You seemed to like it when I choked,” said Luke.

“Yeah, but not in that way. It’s called deepthroating, and well...it feels good. I mean, are you okay?” asked Ashton concerned.

“Yes, I’m fine.” replied Luke.

* * *

 

The boys finished up in their shower before getting out, drying off, and getting into their pajamas. Luke crawled into Ashton’s bed once again.

“I hope you don’t think I’m using you for sex,” said Ashton. “I mean, I like that too, but there’s more to romance than just sex. What I’m trying to say is, I like you in more ways than one.”

Luke snuggled close to Ashton. “Same.”

* * *

 

The next day was the day before the campers left, and the day of the closing campfire. Luke ate breakfast, went to his dance lesson, ate lunch, and swam for the last time that year at camp. He made sure to spend time with his cabinmates, and Ashton especially.

The closing campfire was fun. More games were played, and songs were sang. They even showed a slideshow, and reflected upon, that year at camp. Luke was in a few of the pictures, some with Ashton, and in all of them, he had a huge smile on in face.  In conclusion, this year at camp was a good one. Luke couldn’t agree more.

Luke was surprised when Ashton got up to sing a song with his guitar, which, of course, he could also play. “This one I wrote, it’s called ‘Long Way Home’.” He looked at Luke as he said this. He didn’t publicly dedicate the song to him, but Luke got the memo.

Luke also loved the song. Everything about it was great. Ashton’s voice, the lyrics...everything. The song described Luke and Ashton’s relationship well; going places alone, kissing, and just being together. Luke had to hold himself back from tearing up.

Soon enough, the campfire was over, and the campers headed back to their cabins. Once they were back there, Luke got yet another idea.

“I have an idea,” Luke announced.

“Oh God, not another one!” exclaimed Calum.

“If you’re asking us to skinny dip again, I politely decline. No actually, not politely. I emphatically refuse,” said Michael. At this point, they were close enough to banter like this.

“It’s not that. I think we should put our mattresses on the floor, and sleep on them,” said Luke.

“And why do you think we should do this?” asked Ashton.

“We would all be closer, it’s the last night of camp, and I want to be closer to you guys,” said Luke.

“Awwww, don’t get all sappy on us! Fine, I’m down,” said Calum. The other two agreed.

They dragged their mattresses down onto the ground. The top bunk ones were a bit hard to get down, but with teamwork, it happened.

* * *

 

Once all the mattresses were on the ground and the boys were tucked in, they talked and laughed. They reflected upon the year’s happenings, like the piercings and the activities they did, as well as after camp plans. Soon, Michael and Calum had fallen asleep, leaving only Luke and Ashton awake. They had stayed up on purpose, to talk alone.

“Well, we had a special relationship,” said Luke. “I really like you, more than I’ve liked anyone. What even are we?”

“Same,” replied Ashton. “We are two people who like each other. Isn’t that enough? We’re happy campers.”

Luke giggled, “No, I’m a happy camper, you’re a counselor,” before getting more serious. “I mean, are you going to find someone knew once camp’s over?” asked Luke. It was a serious question.

“Honestly? I don’t think I can,” replied Ashton. “Cheesy as it sounds, I’ve only eyes for you.” He lightly tapped Luke's nose.

“I’m going to miss you,” said Luke, getting off of his mattress and onto Ashton’s, cuddling close to him.

“Not as much as I’ll miss you,” replied Ashton.

“Don’t even start,” said Luke. And the two fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, after the boys awoke and got ready, they packed up their things as they exchanged contact information, and headed to the dining room for breakfast. Sooner than it should have been, it was time for Luke to say goodbye to his cabin mates and counselor.

It was like the Wizard of Oz; Luke as Dorothy, crying and kissing each of his cabinmates on the cheek, before turning to one of them (Ashton) and saying “I think I’ll miss you most of all.”

Except not exactly.

Calum’s mom was the first one to show, along with Calum’s sister Mali. Calum introduced the two of them to his cabin mates and counselor, before hugging all of them goodbye.

“We’ll have to jam sometime, guys,” said Calum.

Luke winked. “You have our numbers.”

Michael was the second to go, his mom showing up soon after Calum’s. He introduced his cabin mates and counselor to her as Calum had before hugging Luke and Ashton goodbye.

Luke’s mom was a bit late, but he didn’t mind. It meant more time with Ashton. Luke looked for his mom at first in the parking lot, before spotting her in the driveway. He ran up to her, and wrapped her in a hug. Ashton watched fondly.

“I missed you,” he said. His mother chuckled.

“I missed you too, and I brought someone.” Luke spotted his father sitting in the drivers seat.

“Hi dad,” he said, hugging him as well. “Missed you as well of course,”

“Well, yes, I brought him. But I also brought another guy, look.” She pointed to the passenger seat, and sitting there was an adorable beagle puppy.

Luke put his hands over his mouth. “Oh my God,” he exclaimed. “Is that...a puppy?”

“No, it’s just my coat,” his mother joked, before reaching over Luke’s dad, grabbing the puppy, and putting it into Luke’s arms.

Luke cooed as he held the puppy, and stroked his ears. “Is he for me?”

“All yours. He’s an after camp surprise,” said Luke’s father.

“Luke Hemmings, is that a lip piercing I see? Please tell me it’s just a crumb or something by your mouth,” said Luke’s mother.

Luke tensed up. “Um, I’ve been wanting one for a while. A cabin mate did it for me? It hasn’t gotten infected or anything, I’ve been taking great care of it. Please don’t make me take it out,” replied luke nervously.

Luke’s mother waved him off. “I’ll scold you for it later. For now, enjoy your new puppy.”

Luke walked up to Ashton, and showed him his puppy. Ashton giggled, and started rubbing the puppy’s head fondly. It was endearing seeing Luke with a new puppy. It wasn’t something he thought he’d see. He remembered Luke saying his second favorite animal was dogs (after penguins) and that he’d always wanted one, so it was nice to see that Luke’s parents were thoughtful enough to give him something like this.

“What should I name him?” He asked Ashton.

“Hmmmm...I’ve always thought beagle sounded a bit like bagel.”

“Bagel’s a good name! Bagel it is,” replied Luke.

“I was joking, but alright. It’s good to know I think of good names,” said Ashton.

Luke walked back over to his parents. “Mom, can you hold Bagel? I think I left something in the cabin.”

“Bagel?” asked his mother.

“Yes, Ashton thought of it.”

“Wow. I’m glad you had a good counselor,” replied Luke’s mom. She had no idea. "Sure, go grab what you need.”

Luke went back to the cabin, Ashton following closely behind.

“I didn’t actually forget anything, I just wanted to say goodbye. My mom knows you’re my counselor, she’ll think it’s weird if we kiss,” said Luke, before leaning in, and giving Ashton a passionate kiss, pulling away soon after he started.

“Now’s the time where I give you a cheesy goodbye speech,” said Luke.

“Oh God,” replied Ashton.

“Now’s the time when I tell you how amazing you are, and how I liked you from the moment I saw you. How you’re not only talented, but kind, funny, smart, sugar, spice, and everything nice. I don’t think there’s anything you’re bad at, and I don’t think there’s a mean streak in you. As I said in my song, not to quote myself, you’re everything I want. I don’t love you, but I like you a whole lot, and if I spent more time with you, I think I’d definitely fall in love with you. I think we should spend time together after camp, because being around you is the best,” Luke rambled, as he started to cry. He wasn’t even ashamed this time.

“Well, a thank you isn’t enough, but it’s going to have to be. Just kidding. A ditto will work. Alright, I’ll get on with it,” joked Ashton. “Luke, I too, liked you from the moment I met you. You’re adorable and sexy at the same time. You’re nice and funny and cute and smart and ridiculous and like-able. I like you as well, and...holy shit, we are so cheesy,” said Ashton as the two broke into laughter.

“I don’t think words can sum up our summer together,” said Luke.

“Getting cheesier,” said Ashton.

The two kissed one (maybe three) more times. Luke hugged Ashton tight, and cried on his shoulder. Even Ashton teared up as well. Luke dried his eyes as they exited the cabin, walking hand in hand until Luke’s parents could see them.

“Took you long enough,” said Luke’s mother when they got to his car, not noticing that Luke’s hands were empty; that he didn’t retrieve anything from his cabin. “Now c’mon, let’s get you home. I’ve missed you too much.”

Luke got into the backseat of his car, before turning around and facing Ashton, waving as his father drove away before turning around, and cuddling Bagel, who was now in the backseat in his lap.

As much as Luke missed his parents, he’ll miss Ashton too, and more than anything, hopes to see him again. He hoped this potential love would last longer than the summer, and he hoped Ashton would remember him, even if they never saw each other again.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading. Questions, and critiques would be very much appreciated. I was thinking of adding a sequel, so let me know if you want one. :)
> 
> P.S: Don't get piercings from people who aren't professionals with random jewelry you bought. Although I wrote about it, I don't condone it.
> 
> P.P.S: You can find me on tumblr at morelashton


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